On October 9, the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) hosted a side event on land tenure and property rights in a post-2015 agenda. The presentations and discussions centered on indicators for secure land tenure in the post-2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) framework. Representatives from DfID, USAID, Landesa and the Global Land Tools Network (GLTN) and around 70 participants discussed the need for a robust and measurable target for land tenure security and property rights and how best to galvanize support towards incorporating a land tenure and property rights goal into the post-2015 MDG agenda.

The final day of CFS Week, October 11, saw an important, but separate meeting: the first formal meeting of the Global Donor Working Group on Land, which is currently chaired by DfID. Formed in the wake of the Voluntary Guidelines negotiations, the Working Group is tasked with improving coordination of donor-funded tenure-related initiatives and activities. The group is working to create an inventory of all donor-funded land governance programs and to enhance donor communication and coordination. As the Working Group gets underway, these efforts will make a real difference in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of land governance programs and maximizing the impact of available resources.